Northeast Thailand (Isan)

Isan — the vast northeastern plateau covering a third of Thailand's landmass — is simultaneously the country's most overlooked and most authentically Thai region. Bordered by Laos to the north and east, and Cambodia to the southeast, the Khorat Plateau rolls through endless rice paddies, cassava fields, and scrub forest punctuated by ancient Khmer temple complexes predating Angkor Wat. This is the real Thailand: the food is saltier and spicier (papaya salad, grilled chicken, sticky rice), the people are among the country's most welcoming, the prices are the lowest in the land, and the crowds are almost entirely domestic.

The region's ancient history rivals anything in the country. Phimai Historical Park near Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat) is Thailand's finest surviving Khmer temple complex, predating Angkor and built along the same ancient road network. Phanom Rung and Muang Tam in Buriram province are equally impressive, set on extinct volcano rims with dramatic stone lintel carvings. Along the Mekong River, the national parks of Nong Khai and Nakhon Phanom offer extraordinary sunsets and easy crossings into Laos via the Friendship Bridges. Udon Thani hosts the remarkable Ban Chiang archaeological site — a Bronze Age settlement dating to 1,500 BCE with distinctive painted pottery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Khao Yai National Park, straddling the southern edge of the Isan plateau and technically administered under Nakhon Ratchasima, is arguably Thailand's best all-round national park: accessible from Bangkok (3 hours), home to wild elephants, gibbons, hornbills, and tigers, and surrounded by a booming wine and agritourism corridor. The park was Thailand's first national park (1962) and remains a UNESCO World Heritage Site.